Best beat marketplace in India: 6 stores compared (2026)

The best beat marketplace in India is the one that lets you pay or get paid in rupees. It should also give a clear licence with every beat and keep fees easy to see. Global stores like BeatStars are better known worldwide, while Indian stores like Airtune, BeatStore and Beat22 take rupees and UPI. Airtune and BeatStore also sell in US dollars to buyers abroad.

In short

• Indian stores (Airtune, BeatStore, Beat22) take UPI and rupees; Airtune and BeatStore also take dollars.
• BeatStars is the best-known global store (“tens of millions” of audio files by its own account), but pays beat sales only to PayPal.
• Before you choose, compare plan price, commission, payouts and the licence you get.

How we compared

We compared six stores on six criteria, in the order Indian buyers and sellers usually care about them. We read each store’s own pricing pages, help centre, terms and app on 8 Nov 2026, and quote figures exactly as shown. Where a page was old or could not be read, the table says so. Airtune publishes this guide, so we hold it to the same checks.

What makes a beat marketplace the best in India?

A beat marketplace is best in India when it handles money and paperwork the way Indian artists and producers need. That means rupee prices, UPI at checkout and payouts to an Indian bank account, plus dollar prices if you sell abroad. It also means a written licence with every beat, signed in both names.

Catalogue size matters too, because a bigger store gives buyers more choice and more styles to pick from. A global store usually wins on choice. An Indian beat store usually wins on rupee prices, UPI and Indian payouts.

So no store is best at everything for everyone. First decide which need matters most to you, whether that is choice, fees, payouts or the licence. Then compare each store on currency, payment, payouts, fees and licence. Prices change often, so check them again on the day you pay or sign up, not just once.

How do Airtune, BeatStars, Airbit, Traktrain, BeatStore and Beat22 compare?

Airtune, BeatStars, Airbit, Traktrain, BeatStore and Beat22 split into two groups. BeatStars, Airbit and Traktrain are global stores that price plans in US dollars and pay sellers mainly through PayPal or Stripe. Airtune, BeatStore and Beat22 are Indian stores that take rupees and UPI at checkout, and Airtune and BeatStore also sell in US dollars.

Within each group, the details differ a lot. BeatStars takes no commission on beat sales, but Marketplace buyers pay a service fee. Traktrain has a free plan with no commission on MP3 leases.

BeatStore charges 20% on its free plan and nothing on Premium. Beat22’s plans page lists 30% on Basic, 20% on Premium and 10% on Pro, though its terms say paid packs carry no separate commission. Airtune’s commission falls by plan, from 20% on Studio Starter to 0% on Studio Pro, as shown on the Airtune pricing page (checked 8 Nov 2026). Some figures below come from older help articles, and the table says so in each cell.

All prices are in the currency each store uses, as of 8 Nov 2026. “Pro” here includes Airtune’s Legacy plan, which also has 0% commission.

Which beat marketplace is best to buy beats online in India?

For an artist who wants to buy beats online in India, the best beat marketplace takes UPI, shows prices in rupees and gives you a licence in your name. Airtune, BeatStore and Beat22 all take UPI at checkout. On Airtune, every beat comes with a licence signed in your legal name and saved as a PDF with a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Beat22 also verifies licences by QR code.

BeatStore says payments go through Razorpay and accepts UPI, RuPay, net banking and pay later. Beat22 lists UPI, cards, EMI, netbanking, wallets, pay later and PayPal. On Airtune, Indian buyers pay in rupees through Razorpay with UPI, cards or netbanking, and buyers abroad pay in US dollars.

BeatStars, Airbit and Traktrain list cards and PayPal, but none of them lists UPI. BeatStars also adds a 12% service fee on Marketplace purchases, though not on a producer’s own Pro Page. For the widest choice of beats, a global store still has more.

• Check the full price. On BeatStars Marketplace, a $30.00 beat plus the 12% fee costs the buyer $33.60 (our maths on its stated fee).
• Know your rights. Our guide to beat licensing in India explains what each right means.
• Follow a checklist. Read how to buy beats online in India step by step.

Watch out: read the licence before you pay. Many leases, including Beat22’s, bar buyers from registering the beat with a PRO such as IPRS. On Airtune, check the beat page, because terms can differ from beat to beat. When we checked six live beat pages on 8 Nov 2026, some Easy leases allowed PRO registration and others did not.

Which Indian beat store is best for selling beats?

The best Indian beat store for selling beats is the one whose fees and payouts fit your sales. BeatStore, Beat22 and Airtune all let Indian producers set prices in rupees, and Airtune and BeatStore both have a 0% commission plan. On Airtune, you also set a separate dollar price for buyers abroad.

For 0% commission, Airtune Studio Pro costs ₹699 a month, against ₹1,299 a month for BeatStore Premium at list price. BeatStore also has a free plan at 20% commission, but it caps uploads at one beat a day. Beat22’s plans page lists Pro at ₹599 a month or ₹4,999 a year with 10% commission, and Premium at ₹1,999 a year with 20%.

On Airtune, sales clear in 7 days (14 when paid in US dollars), then become available the next Friday, paid in rupees to UPI or bank. Payouts need KYC and PAN, the Airtune team checks each one, and there is no minimum payout. Airtune producers join by invite.

• BeatStore payouts are unclear. Its sell page says “Payouts in INR to your UPI”, while its seller agreement says direct bank transfer.
• Beat22 payout timing is unclear. Its help pages give different timings, its seller agreement says payment within 15 days, and its refund policy holds payouts during a 14-day buyer review.
• Plan your setup. See how to sell beats online in India and how to get paid for selling beats in India.

Worked example: one ₹999 Easy WAV sale on Airtune. ₹999 is the example Easy WAV price on the Airtune licensing page. The commission below is our maths on the plan rates from the Airtune pricing page (checked 8 Nov 2026).

The payment provider’s fee is passed on at cost and shown on its own line on every sale.

The ₹999 price is tax-inclusive. Airtune pays the tax on its own commission. Any other tax on what you earn, such as GST or income tax, is yours.

Is BeatStars good for Indian buyers and sellers?

BeatStars is good for Indian buyers and sellers who want the best-known global store, but it is built around US dollars and PayPal. Its plans cost $4.99 a month for Starter, $8.99 for Growth and $19.99 for Professional. Each also has a yearly price, according to its help centre on 8 Nov 2026.

It takes 0% commission on beat sales, which is a real strength. Its own help centre talks of storing “tens of millions” of audio files, so the choice of beats is huge. For Indian users, the limits are about money.

Beat-sale payouts go only to PayPal, and bank withdrawals for royalties need a US dollar account. UPI is not in its listed checkout methods, and Marketplace buyers pay a 12% service fee unless the seller covers it. If PayPal works well for you and global reach matters most, BeatStars is still a strong choice.

Tip: you do not have to pick one store. You can keep a BeatStars page for global reach and use an Indian store for buyers who want to pay in rupees. See each BeatStars alternative in India.

Next steps

1. Pick two stores from the table and compare their licence terms for the same type of beat.
2. If you are buying, explore beats on Airtune and check the final price at checkout before you pay by UPI.
3. If you are selling, compare the plan price with the commission you would pay at your expected sales on the Airtune pricing page.